Moves that need to be made

Exceptional job on that TD. I was actually surprised that the rookie not only was able to get his foot down for the drag, but also that he had enough awareness to do it.

That's something we are lacking. There have been very few balls thrown deep this year that i can remember seeing and we need someone to keep the D honest and open up a few big yard plays. He has some work to do but I feel like he's well on his way.

 

I seem to remember him doing that in preseason too. I think I even commented about that on here back then. With the way the refs are tossing flags anymore it should be considered. Although the refs tend to give those calls to the more experienced players and not as much with rookies. JMO though.

 

I hope Ben can improve on his passes deep - he need to hit the guys in stride, not lead them out of bounds and over or under throw severely.

 

Actually trading a 3rd or 4th or 5th rd pick for a solid CB would be very wise..................... since we tend to waste those picks anyways.

Cajun-

 

Martavius Bryant would've had 2 TD's if Ben was more accurate on his deep game. Bryant had 2 steps on the DB on that first bomb that Ben threw out of bounds. We end up punting the ball away, Worilds misses a sack on 3rd down and they go on to score a TD. Story of the year for us - our centerpieces not making plays when the opportunity is there. It's awesome that we won because that buys us more time to figure out the consistency thing.

And on the topic of the thread, I don't think I'd make any moves, as far as trading picks for players. The only moves I would make would be in-house, and that would come later if it was obvious that we were out of contention, such as canning some of the older guys like Cam Thomas and Silverback and seeing what the younger guys can do, like HoJo and Mauro.

 

I like your thinking, sir.

 

The problem is finding a team willing to trade a good CB for a mid round draft pick. Good corners aren't easy to come by, so getting one likely would be pretty expensive. Maybe try the FA pool in the offseason? If we go forward without Worilds (which I think is very possible) we could afford someone like Darelle Revis or Antonio Cromartie for a couple seasons. We could also go after a guy like Brandon Flowers, Darius Butler, or Walter Thurmond who are a couple years younger and could be a little bit cheaper.

 

Is he that fast? Using his name as you stated, implies Mike Wallace speed. Is this correct?

 

Definitely not Wallace fast ,but how many are. He has very good speed for his size and his catch radius makes him a big threat. If he and Ben can get their timing down he can be exactly what we are missing. He gives Ben more margin for error then anyone else we have.

 

4.42 40 and 39 " vertical jump. 4th best of the WRs at combine.

Good numbers. His body length is what will give him the advantage. He has a tendancy to drop balls ( hopefully not Sweed like lol )

Future is looking good for both Martavis and the Steelers

 

All you people clamoring to bench Wheaton are out of your minds.

 

I would like that more if he could figure out how to mix it up so as to get a flag on a deep throw. Right now it seems a better chance for a pass interference call, they seem to be something you can count on, with the right receivers.

 

Being a deep threat isn't about raw speed. If it was, DHB would be the answer.

 

I don't know what you want. Ben and Wheaton can't seem to get on the same page. On the job training isn't the answer, because we can't afford to waste downs and possessions watching passes go where the WR ain't.

 

Wheaton has talent, that's undeniable, but for some reason we aren't hitting the passes that we should be. It may not be the case right now but from what I see our best positioning may be Brown #1, Bryant #2, and Wheaton as the #3 in the slot. I think that's where the money is, factoring in body type and what everyone brings to the table. Unfortunately I don't think Bryant is completely ready yet, and apparently neither is Wheaton.

 

The issues with Wheaton are just mental errors, on the part of both he and Ben. They need to be going back and looking at why he was absolutely on point for the first few games, and then slipped off the last 2-3. Because when he's on point, Wheaton looks every inch the kind of no.2 receiver we need.

 

I'd rather go AB, Bryant, and Moore.

 

Yup.. Go with your most reliable receivers. The guys that are getting the job done

 

I see. Wheaton doesn't know the offense well enough, so we should replace him with Bryant, who knows it so well he's been active for one career game and basically just ran in a straight line for all of it?

I like Bryant too. I wanted him active from the start. I also want Moore in there more than he was in the beginning. I think those two, JB, and DHB all bring something different, and should be mixed in and rotated.

Bryant = size & speed... but very raw and a rookie learning the offense.
Moore = experience & veteran savvy... but no size.
J. Brown = mix of size & speed & more experience than Bryant... but has blown too many of his limited opportunities.
DHB = speed & size (blocking) & a depth receiver... but has proven for 5 years he's not a starter.

They should all be rotating. If and when a guy emerges from the pack, there you go.

Then you have Wheaton. He's got more raw potential than anyone there except Bryant. I think he's the next Emmanuel Sanders, except with a better ability to make tough catches. And we are calling for Wheaton to be benched for possibly running a few wrong routes, or at least having bad chemistry for Ben... and you think Bryant would do better? Based on what? Wheaton's been quiet for a few games, but he's already done more for this offense than any of those other guys, including bailing out the team week 1.

And on the job training is absolutely part of the answer. Turning him into Limas Sweed (benched forever because of a coule mistakes) doesn't help us. I wouldn't mind rotating him out some, because as I mentioned above, some of those other guys offer different stuff (like size, blocking). But putting him behind anybody is going to hurt his development and the team, short-term and long.

 

I agree. Let's not act like Ben is absolved of all responsibility. Maybe all those miscommunications were Wheaton's fault, but Ben has also done the same thing with Brown a few times this year. We just don't notice because Brown is also Antonio Brown.

 

I would attribute some of the mishaps with the WRs these past 2 games to the playcalling. In the first games of the season where Wheaton and everyone else looked much better, the passing game looked much more organized and utilized simple yet effective routes. These last two games, the priority was running the ball. It didn't look like they put much planning into the passing game.

Our offense also has been terrible the past two games minus a 2 minute stretch against the Texans (where the defense spoonfed them good field position). The offense hasn't been bad because of a few bad routes Wheaton and company (Moore actually has had more drops, and JB/Miller/Bell/DHB have all had drops too....even AB has had a few drops).

The offense has been bad because they aren't coming out wanting to score quickly and effectively. The Steelers would rather opt for a massive 9 minute drive that usually results in 3 or no points, than a quick 2 minute drive that scores a TD. They are clearly too bought into this "control the gameclock" concept rather than "control the scoreboard".

If they ran the same exact plays in order that they ran in the first half of the first game against the Browns, they would be more effective and score more points than this "let's run Archer up the middle because obviously that is a good idea, obviously" offense.

 

Totally agree. I can recall a couple of passes that were clearly Ben's fault. Give the guy a break and a chance,this is essentially his rookie season. To anyone who isn't sure of his speed he used to run track at Oregon state ,youtube him beating DAT in the 100. He can move.

 

No one is talking about benched forever. We just need to go with what can work now. And yeah Bryant is pretty much just a down field guy, but that serves a purpose. It helps open things up for Heath, Bell, AB, and Moore underneath. We can't worry about Wheaton's development. We're trying to win games now.

 

I don't care who is at fault. We're not benching Ben so ...